A Brother's Advice
by XFangHeartX
Summary: Sesshomaru comes to Inuyasha and Kagome's home during the middle of winter. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please. Contains Sesshomaru x Adult!Rin. Don't like it? Don't read it.


Inuyasha:

A Brother's Advice

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Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Story and OCs © Me

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Summary- Sesshomaru comes to Inuyasha and Kagome's home during the middle of winter.

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Inuyasha placed another log in the firepit. It was beginning of January and the village was covered in a blanket of thick snow. Kagome sighed as she rubbed her hands, feeling the warmth of the fire, Yamako on one side and 1-year-old Sanka on the other, and Ichiro sat next to his father, rubbing his arms as he sat in front of the fire.

It had been about 2 months since Kaede's passing and life in the village had mostly returned to normal. Some still have difficulty processing the fact that the elderly priestess was gone. Others accepted her death, prayed for her spirit, and moved on with their lives. Kagome was still a bit heartbroken, but at least she wasn't as depressed as she was the first few weeks after Kaede died.

It took Yamako a while, though, to understand that Kaede wasn't coming back. Being two years old, he didn't really understand the concept of death. It took a bit of time for Inuyasha to actually explain it to him.

Right now, though, the family just sat around the firepit, trying to keep warm from the mid-winter chill. As Inuyasha stoked the fire, however, he suddenly tensed as he felt a chill go down his spine. Kagome stiffened, as well, feeling a powerful yet familiar demonic aura.

The next thing they knew, the door was suddenly pushed open...and in walked Sesshomaru...strangle lacking his mokumoku. Almost instantly, Inuyasha sensed that something was amiss. Sesshomaru did have his usual stoic expression...and yet, he could sense a tiny hint of anxiety within his older half-brother.

"Huh?" Ichiro muttered. "Uncle Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing here?" asked Kagome. "You hardly come to see us ever since Rin left with you."

The moment Sesshomaru's golden eyes fell on Kagome...it happened. Without a word, he suddenly snatched her by the wrist and forcefully pulled her up, causing her to yell more out of surprise than pain as she was yanked to her feet. Yamako and Sanka both cried out in alarm while Ichiro gasped, worried for his mother.

"Mom!" he cried.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted as Sesshomaru began to drag Kagome outside. "Where do you think you're going, Sesshomaru?! Come back here!"

"W-wait a minute, Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled as she was suddenly hoisted over his shoulder. "What's going on?! What are you doing?!"

Without a word, the Great Dog Demon took to the air, taking the shrieking priestess with him.

"Mom!" Ichiro cried as he tried to run after her. "Dad, what's going on?! Why is Uncle Sesshomaru taking Mom away!"

"Wait here!" Inuyasha replied as he soon took off running. "I'll get your mother back!"

XXX

Kagome grunted as she struggled and squirmed to get out of Sesshomaru's grasp, but it seemed that he still had a tight hold on her.

"Sesshomaru, what is going on?!" Kagome questioned. "Put me down, right now! I mean it!"

But Sesshomaru remained stone-faced as he continued to fly through the air over snow and trees. Kagome didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that she was up way too high for her liking. Even Inuyasha didn't jump this high whenever he was running with her on his back.

Eventually, though, Sesshomaru dropped down to the ground before he placed Kagome on her feet.

"Ugh, finally!" she exclaimed. "Sesshomaru, what has gotten into-"

"Uuuuunnngh...!"

"Huh?" Kagome muttered as she turned around to some shrubs from which the moaning originated. She could've sworn she recognized that voice. As she walked up to the shrubbery and parted them, only to gasp in surprise: it was a 19-year-old Rin, her face contorted with pain and discomfort as she lied on Sesshomaru's mokumoku, her arms wrapped around her bulging stomach. Jaken stood nearby, placing his hand on her shoulder while muttering worriedly, and Ah-Un huffed and growled, just as nervous as the imp was.

"Oh, what to do?" Jaken asked before he noticed Kagome. "Oh! K-Kagome, you're here!"

"Ugh...!" Rin groaned as she looked up at the priestess. "K...Kagome...!" She then cried out as she felt her stomach contract.

Kagome took a good long look, but she didn't need to ask what was going on, for she had been through this very situation before, three times.

Rin was in labor.

"Help her," Sesshomaru said...his voice almost sounding desperate. "_Please!_"

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru before she walked up to him and calmly put her hand upon his shoulder.

"I'll do what I can, Sesshomaru," she said, and at that moment, Inuyasha finally arrived.

"All right, Sesshomaru, what's...going..." he trailed off as soon as he noticed Rin, who moaned as she bit her lip. "W-what the...Rin?!"

"Inuyasha, good, you're here!" Kagome exclaimed as she tried to help Rin up. "Quick! Carry Rin to the house! She's in labor!"

"Right!" Inuyasha replied as he soon held the young woman bridal style and running back to the house with Kagome and Sesshomaru following after her...and all the while, Jaken was clinging to his lord's mokumoku.

They made it back to the house, but Kagome had no time to calm Yamako's and Sanka's distressed crying. She and Inuyasha hurried to get Rin upstairs into a bedroom. Just like his parents, Ichiro was also confused by Rin's appearance and her pain.

Soon, Inuyasha gently lied Rin down on the futon while Kagome checked her.

"Okay, Rin," she said, looking between the younger woman's legs. "You're not quite wide enough, yet, but you're getting there. For now, you just have to breathe, okay?"

"Okay..." Rin whispered as she took in deep breaths.

"What can I do?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I need you to get out," Kagome replied. "Sesshomaru, I'm sorry, but men aren't allowed in here during the birthing."

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to argue...but even he knew the traditions of childbirth. He sighed in reluctant resignation before he turned around...but then...

"W-wait!" Rin cried, causing Sesshomaru to turn to look at her. "I...I don't care about tradition. Sesshomaru...please, stay here with me...please? I-I'm too scared to be alone. I don't know what will happen!"

Kagome glanced up at Sesshomaru, who looked back at her, as if asking permission to stay. She smiled before she nodded his head, and soon, the great dog demon sat by Rin's side, gently holding her hand.

"It's all right, Rin," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere...I promise you."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," Rin smiled.

"Here's a bucket of water and a cloth," Inuyasha said as he put down the items.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," Kagome replied, and her husband nodded before he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him, and at that moment, she checked Rin once again. "Okay...looks like you're ready, Rin. On the count of three, okay?"

Rin nodded her head while she tightly gripped Sesshomaru's hand.

"1...2...3! Push!" Kagome shouted, and soon, Rin let out a pained scream as she felt her abdominal muscles contracting, and while Sesshomaru tried his damnedest not to show it, he clenched his jaws tightly together as he felt his wife's grip on his hand tighten so hard, that he could have sworn he felt his bones crack.

Who knew a woman in labor could be so strong?

XXX

Downstairs, Jaken grumbled as he sat near the firepit while Yamako was pulling on his ear. Unfortunately, he didn't have much choice, for the moment it looked like he was about to bark at the child, Inuyasha sent him a piercing glare and a deep growl thundered in his chest, causing the imp to yelp before he begrudgingly resigned himself to being the toddler's plaything. Ichiro sat next to his father, holding Sanka in his arms while he glanced to the stairs, his ears folding back slightly as he heard Rin's cries.

"Dad?" Ichiro asked. "Is Aunt Rin gonna be all right?"

"Your mother's delivered babies, before," Inuyasha replied. "She's even done it without Kaede's help. She knows what she's doing."

"...Uncle Sesshomaru sure was scared, wasn't he?" asked Ichiro, causing his father to glance down at him. "He's normally cold...but when it comes to Aunt Rin, he gets pretty scared, huh?"

"Yeah...when it comes to the ones you love, you can't help feeling a little anxious," Inuyasha replied. "When your mother gave birth to you and your brother and sister, I got nervous each and every time."

"Really?" Ichiro asked. "You didn't look like it."

"Oh, I was," Inuyasha replied. "Each and every time, I got more anxious because I didn't know what was gonna happen...to you kids or your mother."

"Wow," Ichiro muttered in surprise. "I guess it doesn't get easier."

"Haha!" Inuyasha chuckled. "Nah...but after all is said and done, it's one of the best moments, ever." He sighed, smiling warmly as nostalgia began to overtake him. "The warm feeling you get when you hold a newborn baby...it's something you never forget."

"...I just hope Uncle Sesshomaru likes the baby," said Ichiro. "You used to tell me that he hated half-demons."

"Well, Ichi," Inuyasha began, "I can tell Sesshomaru's changed...maybe not too much, but he's changed enough. If he did show any kind of animosity towards his own child...I'd rip his arm off, all over again."

"How dare you say that so casually, you-" Jaken shouted, only for Inuyasha to bop him on the head.

"Shut up, toad," Inuyasha grumbled.

The next few hours were filled with the sounds of Rin's cries of pain and Kagome's instructions. Time passed so quickly, that it was already near dusk. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and the sky began to turn a deep purple as the end of the day neared. It was then that they heard the sound of Rin screaming, one last time before Kagome told her to stop...but then...there was an eerie silence.

"What's going on?" Jaken asked. "Did Rin give birth, yet?"

"I can smell it," Inuyasha said. "Rin's finished...but..."

"...There's no crying," Ichiro added, while Yamako and Sanka blinked at each other in bewilderment.

"...Oh, no...y-you don't think that...?" Jaken asked, worriedly.

"I'm going up there," Inuyasha said as he stood up, but just as he was about to go upstairs...

"Waaaaaaahh~!"

Inuyasha released the breath that he didn't even realize he had been holding while Ichiro and Jaken both smiled in relief before they both followed Inuyasha up the stairs. As they entered the bedroom, Kagome was seen handing an exhausted, flush-faced Rin a tiny, cooing bundle, which she took into her arms while Sesshomaru gently caressed her brown hair.

"Say hi to your son," Kagome said, softly.

"...He's beautiful...!" Rin whispered, sounding close to tears. "Look at him, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru stared down at the tiny infant: a baby boy with silvery white locks, just like his own, and though it was faint, he could just barely make out the mark of a crescent on his forehead. However, if there were two features that stuck out the most, it had to be the two floppy ears on the baby boy's head.

And yet...Sesshomaru was smiling. It was small...but it was warm and loving as he stared at his newborn son with soft, golden eyes.

"...He's absolutely perfect," he whispered as he gently brushed a claw against the baby's soft cheek...and almost instantly, the infant grasped his finger. It looked so tiny compared to his own.

This baby was a half-demon, that much was true...but he was his son...a product of his and Rin's love and devotion.

That was when Inuyasha noticed something that he thought he would never see from his older half-brother.

"Sesshomaru? Are you...crying?"

Sesshomaru shot a glare at Inuyasha...a small, but noticeable tear pricking at the corner of his eye while Kagome chuckled.

"Ohh...!" Jaken whimpered with comical tears. "What a proud day...Lord Sesshomaru has an heir...!"

"Silence, Jaken," Sesshomaru said, causing Jaken to tense up for a moment. "He is not only my heir...he is my son...Taisetsu."

"Taisetsu," Rin repeated while she kissed her son's cheek. "I love it."

"So...does this mean I have a cousin?" asked Ichiro.

"You sure do," Inuyasha replied. "Your baby cousin, Taisetsu."

"Wow," Ichiro whispered as he got a closer look. "You know, Uncle Sesshomaru? He looks a bit like you."

"...Yes," Sesshomaru replied. "He does, doesn't he?"

Rin chuckled as she leaned against Sesshomaru, who carefully wrapped his arm around her.

"Let her rest for a while," Kagome said. "She should be okay to leave the next day."

"...Kagome," Sesshomaru spoke, causing his sister-in-law to look at her. "I...I'm sorry...I doubted you, at first, but...I shouldn't have. I was scared, I will admit that...but...thank you for your help."

Kagome only smiled at Sesshomaru. "I know how important Rin is to you, Sesshomaru...I was happy to help."

XXX

Later that night, while Rin slept with baby Taisetsu and Kagome was putting the kids to bed, Sesshomaru stood outside the house in the snow, staring up at the clear sky.

It was strange...he actually felt a bit tired, and yet, at the same time, he didn't want to go to sleep.

"It's pretty overwhelming, isn't it?"

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder to see Inuyasha standing on the porch.

"Having a kid can sure hit you hard," Inuyasha said. "It tends to send you for a loop, huh?"

"Hmph..." Sesshomaru scoffed while his younger half-brother suddenly glared at him.

"Now listen here," Inuyasha said. "Taisetsu's a half-demon...and Rin wants to come visit us more often so he can get to know his cousins more...but know this, Sesshomaru." His eyes narrowed. "Us half-demons have it bad enough, being discriminated by both humans and demons, alike...so if I hear even ONE word about you mistreating my nephew in any way...I'll rip off BOTH your arms the next time I see you."

"...As if I would ever mistreat my child," Sesshomaru said. "Besides...if I did, Rin would never forgive me." He then gave Inuyasha a glare of his own. "Another thing...you couldn't rip off my arms if you tried."

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha asked. "Maybe next time, I'll get lucky."

A pause...but then Inuyasha snorted as he laughed, and even Sesshomaru chuckled lightly.

"...I don't normally say this...but...just this once...thank you, brother."

Inuyasha smirked as he crossed his arms.

"No problem."

The next day, after Rin had gotten enough rest, she and Taisetsu were allowed to leave with Sesshomaru and Jaken. As Rin was climbing on the back of Ah-Un and carefully holding Taisetsu, she glanced back at Inuyasha, Kagome, and the kids.

"Thanks, again, everybody!" Rin called.

"Bye-bye, Aunt Rin!" Ichiro waved.

"Please come and visit more often!" Kagome replied.

"Oh, trust me, we plan to!" Rin answered before looking at Taisetsu. "Won't we, Tai?"

Taisetsu cooed softly, blinking his light blue eyes at his mother, who lightly kissed his forehead.

"Let us be off," Sesshomaru said as he walked by, and Jaken soon took Ah-Un by the reins.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called, prompting the pureblooded demon to glance back at him. "Don't forget our little promise."

"...Hmph," Sesshomaru scoffed as he walked away with his party...but as he did, he glanced over at Taisetsu...and a small smile crept on his lips as he gently stroked his son's head, causing him to gurgle pleasantly.

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Yeah, some of these parts might seem OOC for Sesshomaru, but I guess I was in a hurry to get this done.

And for those wondering, the next chapter of One Piece: The Reverie Arc is halfway finished!

Review, please!


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